“I really love seeing the cows in our pasture,” I said to my husband as we headed out to do early morning field work recently.
“Remember that in December,” he chuckled while sipping his coffee.
Our conversation came back to me when I received an email from an animal rights activist. During the email exchange I wrote, “Please do not misunderstand me, as a former 4-H’er, a beef cattle owner and raiser, a researcher, and agriculture advocate, I understand your concerns, but I do not share them. Raising animals with thoughtful compassion for their wellbeing until it is time to have them humanely harvested for meat is what I do. Every person, regardless of age, has within them the capacity for compassion and thoughtful consumption of an omnivorous diet.”
It got me thinking about what it means to be a “compassionate omnivore.” There is an entire movement dedicated to the notion of thoughtful meat consumption. Consumers who choose this dietary method are devoted to considering how an animal was raised, prioritizing animal welfare and environmental impact above things like price and availability.
A prime example of this dietary consideration can be found at Whole Foods at the meat counter. The “Animal Welfare Certified” labeling system includes a tiered grading methodology that includes ever-more stringent requirements as the levels get higher. Consumers, based on their preference, can then purchase meat that meets their standards for being a compassionate omnivore.
While some meat producers may scoff at this notion, delving more deeply into these standards, many livestock raisers already adhere to them without consciously choosing to. For example, in “tier 2” of the Whole Foods system, “enriched environment,” animals are given a place to live that “encourages natural behaviors.” Arguably, every cow raised in the United States is encouraged to be a cow, living in a pasture and grazing on grass for most of its life. Similarly, goats are often given “play structures” to climb on to keep them from destroying their pens, stalls, and fencing.
Some of the hurdles instituted by the Whole Foods methodology are more difficult to achieve. To reach “tier 5+” a livestock producer must have a vertically integrated farm or ranch allowing for animals to spend their entire lives on the same farm. For smaller livestock – poultry, rabbits, possibly lamb and goats – this may be easier to manage. However, it is not impossible for any livestock raiser to put systems in place to make this standard attainable.
Dietarily speaking, 68 percent of Americans define themselves as “omnivores,” or “meat-eaters,” whereas just 2 percent of Americans cite “veganism,” eating no meat, eggs, or dairy, as their diet of choice. An additional 13 percent of Americans define their diet as “vegetarian,” or consisting of primarily fruits and vegetables but also the consumption of eggs and dairy products. Of the people who claim to be vegan or vegetarian, 29 percent claim it is for animal welfare reasons.
Dietary choices are deeply personal. Every person should have the opportunity to choose foods that suit their nutritional and ethical preferences, whatever they may be. It is critical to understand many of the concerns cited by animal rights activists are things livestock raisers already do but do not advertise. Whether it is for practical reasons, like putting up a play structure for goats, or for more mundane reasons like letting cattle be cattle by providing them with grazing pastures, compassion for the animals we eat is as important to their care as food, water, and shelter.
